these computers are not a good way of education because they will harm the thinking skills as well as practical skills of the student . they will never be able to improve their spelling errors. now also children use computer for doing their home work by taking in formations from Wikipedia…..

In recent times, critical opinion has appeared concerning the use of computers by children and adolescents, especially in education at the primary and high school levels. In this essay, we begin by citing and summarizing some of the arguments given in favor of the use of computers by children and in education. Then we argue against them using some opinions which we consider to be non-standard.

Another approach and some more details on many of the issues covered here may be found .We also introduce here some new arguments.

Arguments in favor of early use

Let us introduce here some arguments for using computers in education, at home and in school, using quotations.

T.Oppenheimer, in a recent article criticizing indiscriminate introduction of computers in schools, lists the following popular reasons for "computerizing our nation's [the USA] schools," [1]:

1. "Computers improve both teaching and student achievement."

2. "Computer literacy should be taught as early as possible; otherwise students will be left behind."

3. "Technology programs leverage support from the business community - badly needed today because schools are increasingly starved for funds."

4. "To make tomorrow's work force competitive in an increasingly high-tech world, learning computer skills must be a priority."

5. "Work with computers - particularly using the Internet - brings students valuable connections with teachers, other schools and students, and a wide network of professionals around the globe. Those connections spice the school day with a sense of real-world relevance, and broaden the educational community."

Let us now hear a strong fighter for the introduction of computers in education, who gives deeper reasons. We will cite him in chronological order. In his book "Mindstorms" [2], S.Papert writes:

6. "I began to see how children who had learned how to program a computer could use very concrete computer models to think about thinking and to learn about learning and in doing so, enhance their powers as psychologists and as epistemologists." [p. 23]

7. "I believe that the computer as a writing instrument offers children an opportunity to become more like adults, indeed like advanced professionals, in their relationships to other intellectual products and to themselves." [p. 31]

8. "Increasingly, the computers of the very near future will be the private property of individuals, and this will gradually return to the individual the power to determine patterns of education. Education will become more of a private act… There will be new opportunities for imagination and originality." [p. 37]

9. "… the computer may serve as a force to break down the line between the 'two cultures' [humanities and science]. … So in this book I try to show how the computer presence can bring children in a more humanistic as well as a more humane relationship with mathematics." [p. 38]

10. "LOGO environments are not [Brazilian] samba schools, but they are useful for imagining what it would be like to have a 'samba school for mathematics.' … The computer brings it into the realm of the possible by providing mathematically rich activities which could, in principle, be truly engaging for the novice and the expert, young and old." [p. 182]

11. "The computer can be seen as an engine that can be harnessed to existing structures in order to solve, in local and incremental measures, the problems that face schools as they exist today." [p. 186]

12. "Computation can be more than a theoretical science and a practical art: It can also be the material from which to fashion a powerful and personal vision of the world" [p. 210].

In his book "The Children's Machine" [3], Papert says:

13. Across the world children have entered a passionate and enduring love affair with the computer." [p. ix]

14. "The introduction of computers is not the first challenge to education values". [p. 5]

15. "The computer graphics and the artificial creature projects give a glimpse of directions of change of School that move toward megachange." [p. 21]

In his book "The Connected Family" [11] Papert says:

16. "Across the world there is a passionate love affair between children and computers." [p. 1]

17. "The best uses of computers that I have seen in homes are so much better than what is being done with computers in most schools that I have come to see home computing as a major (perhaps the major) source of pressure for educational reform." [p. 15]

18. "… one of the big contributions of the computer is the opportunity for children to experience the thrill of chasing after knowledge they really want." [p. 19]

19. "What will children learn by making a game? They will learn some technical things, for example to program computers. … They will develop some psychological, social and moral kinds of thinking. Most important of all in my view is that children will develop their sense of self and of control. For instance, they will begin to learn what it's like to control their own intellectual activity." [p. 47]

20. "… parents should recognize the need to build new kinds of relationships with their children and should see the computer as a vehicle for building, rather than as an obstacle to, family cohesion." [p. 79.

21. "… using the children's enthusiasm for computers as a basis for enhancing the family's learning-culture." [p. 79] "Computer learning experiences give the family a chance to become more aware of its learning culture and a chance to work at slowly (cultures never change fast) improving it." [p. 81]

Patterns

Examining these arguments, the following patterns emerge (at the end of each item we refer to the above arguments which apply to it):

a) Computers should be learned and used as soon as possible because they will be essential for the individual in the professional working place (2,4).

b) Students who do not master computers will not keep pace with their classmates (2).

Computers are commonly used items in many areas. It is an important thing to people, especially the people who run organizations, industry, etc… Almost anything you know is run or made by computers. Cars and jets were designed on computers, traffic signals are run by computers, most medical equipment use computers and space exploration was started with computers. Most of the jobs today require the use of computers. These 'mechanical brains' made a huge impact on our society. It would be hard if we didn't have the computer around.

Let's visualize for a minute. Let's visualize a world without computers. People in the medical field wouldn't have have found a lot of cures to diseases, since most cures were found with the help of computers. Movies like Jurassic Park, Toy Story, A Bug's Life or Godzilla would never have been made without computers because they used computer graphics and animation in them. Pharmacies would have a hard time keeping track with what medications to give to patience. Counting votes would be impossible without computers and most importantly, space exploration wouldn't be possible without the help of computers. It's a pretty tough life without computers. Some may not agree and say, "Well, we don't need computers to live on." They maybe right but mostly, they are wrong. Computers help in curing diseases, make entertainment a lot better, keep track of important records, etc… Without computers, all this wouldn't be possible.
Computers changed the world a lot. It helped man step forward into the future. Thanks to computers, space exploraation came true, new designs of vehicles and other trasportaion were made, entertainment became more entertaining, medical science made more cures for diseases, etc… The computers impacted our lives in many ways. You may not notice it but they did make life a lot easier. Without computers, the world would be a harder place to live in. Thanks to the computers, everyday life is easier for us. Some people may disagree but most wouldn't. Some people say that computers are taking away man power. That maybe true but computers did make the impossible possible.

Computers impacted many items in today's society. One area the computer impacted on is the business area. Business uses computers for keeping track of accounts, money, or items that they need. You may notice business people using computers a lot, especially the laptop computers, portable computers that can be taken to your work area. You may see people use things like pie-charts and graphs when they present information to other business people in meetings. Most of those charts were made by computers. The business field uses the computers a lot for their companies and organizations.

Another area computers impacted on is the entertainment area. Most of the people out there like science fiction or action movies, especially the ones with the neat looking effects. Well, those graphics were mostly made by computers. Most of the movies today use computer graphics to make things more realistic but not real. Computer graphics are mostly used on spaceships, aliens, monsters, and special effects. To the left is a picture from the movie "Godzilla." Godzilla was created by computer animation, texturing, and graphics to make him more realistic then the older version when they used a man in a costume to play godzilla. This wasn't the only movie made with computers. Movies like Jurassic Park, Wing Commander, Starship Troopers, Star Wars SE, and the latest Star Trek Movies used computers to make them look more interesting and realistic. There are even movies completely made by computers like Toy Story and A Bugs' Life.

Not only movies used computer animations and graphics. Games on the latest game consoles like the PC, Playstation and Nintendo 64 used the computers to make the coolest games ever. Of course all of you heard of the game Final Fantasy VII. It was the first Final Fantasy game to have a 3D environment and neat computer animation. It was a big money-making seller. Games now and days use computer graphics and animations to make the coolest games. Computer games also have their share. Wing Commander Prophecy, Shogo and all the other new 3D games were made by really cool computer graphics. It would be really boring without all this wouldn't you think? That's how computers impacted today's entertainment.

Education was impacted by computers as well. Computers help out students in a lot of today's projects and essays. If a student were to do an essay on the planet Saturn, they could look in an electronic encyclopedia in the computer or they could look up their topic on the internet. They could also type their essays and reports on what's called a word-processing program. This program allows you to type anything out from a school essay to business papers. You can make your paper look very neat by adding images and neat looking text to impress your teacher. Now and days, typing out essays and reports are mandatory, especially in High School. Computers help students in any way they need, researching, typing, searching, etc… Teachers use computers as well. They use computers to keep track of grades, type out instruction for their students, and to let students use the computer for school purposes.

An important field computers impacted on is the medical field. The computers helped the hospitals out very much. In pharmacies, the pharmacists use computers to keep a record of what medication to give to a patient and the amount they need. Most computers in the hospital are used to keep data of patience and their status. Computers also keep track of equipment placement and status as well. Scientists need the help of computers to find cures for diseases that need cures like cancer and STDs. Without the computers help, cures for a lot of diseases woudn't have been found. Computer helped the medical area a lot and we are greatful for that since they keep track of our health. Other areas the computer impacted on is space exploration and designs of transportation.

well ,i think computers are a good way of education because nowadays computers have become a daily practice n fun to all youngsters N IF THEY LEARN TROUGH THIS WAT ELSE CAN WE WISH FOR !! CAS computer aided learning is becoming very popular dese dayzz n i trully apprecite it !!!

deepali if computer checking is done than it may be a problem b'coz as you know about recent cat onl9 test it was the waste of tym many people were no even able to start the computer also ……. n many face the problem in logging in.